Chinese Medicine (Feb 2024)

Total flavonoids of Astragalus protects glomerular filtration barrier in diabetic kidney disease

  • Pei-Yu Liu,
  • Kin-Fong Hong,
  • Ya-Di Liu,
  • Zhong-Yan Sun,
  • Ting-Ting Zhao,
  • Xu-Ling Li,
  • Chi-Chou Lao,
  • Shu-Feng Tan,
  • Hai-Ying Zhang,
  • Yong-Hua Zhao,
  • Ying Xie,
  • You-Hua Xu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13020-024-00903-3
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 19, no. 1
pp. 1 – 13

Abstract

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Abstract Background Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a prevalent complication of diabetes and the leading cause of end-stage renal disease. Recent evidence suggests that total flavonoids of Astragalus (TFA) has promising effects on diabetes; however, its influence on DKD and the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Methods In this study, we induced the DKD model using streptozotocin (STZ) in male C57BL/6J mice and utilized glomerular endothelial cell (GEC) lines for in vitro investigations. We constructed a network pharmacology analysis to understand the mechanism of TFA in DKD. The mechanism of TFA action on DKD was investigated through Western blot analysis and multi-immunological methods. Results Our findings revealed that TFA significantly reduced levels of urinary albumin (ALB). Network pharmacology and intracellular pathway experiments indicated the crucial involvement of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in mediating these effects. In vitro experiments showed that TFA can preserve the integrity of the glomerular filtration barrier by inhibiting the expression of inflammatory factors TNF-alpha and IL-8, reducing oxidative stress. Conclusion Our findings demonstrated that TFA can ameliorates the progression of DKD by ameliorating renal fibrosis and preserving the integrity of the kidney filtration barrier. These results provide pharmacological evidence supporting the use of TFA in the treatment of kidney diseases.

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